PLOTNICKA, FRUMKA

PLOTNICKA, FRUMKA (1914–1943), underground leader in Poland. Born in Plotnicka, she belonged to the Zionist Youth movement, Dror, and became a member of its leadership in 1938. Along with most of the others in Dror's main office, she left at the outbreak of World War II, fleeing to Kovel. It was hoped that from Kovel, which was under Soviet rule, a path to Palestine could be found. In 1940 the Dror leadership decided that some of its members should return to German-occupied Poland and Plotnicka was among them. From Warsaw she visited many Jewish communities, trying to fortify local Zionist youth cells.

In September 1942, Plotnicka was sent to Bedzin by the Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa (Jewish Fighting Organization; ZOB) with the task of bolstering the underground there, and helping it to prepare for armed resistance. Its agricultural training center ("farma") became the center of Zionist youth activity in Bedzin. Plotnicka herself was one of the leaders of the underground. From Bedzin she and others helped the escape of a handful of young Jews to Hungary, by way of Slovakia, while rejecting offers for her own escape. The clandestine youth organization members, and Frumka among them, maintained contact with representatives of the Zionist youth movement in Geneva and Istanbul. Attempts to establish contact with the Polish underground were unsuccessful.

On August 1, 1943, the final liquidation of the Bedzin Jewish community was launched. From several bunkers the youth offered armed resistance. Plotnicka was killed along with the last group of fighters in a battle on August 3.